It's Apollo and Artemis
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The votes are in, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's new mascots are named Apollo and Artemis.
Why it matters: Since their debut March 1, the astronaut duo have been grabbing headlines and generating plenty of buzz on social media, something USSRC has really leaned into.
- Center staffers even read Facebook comments in a Mean Tweets-style video.
What they're saying: "We certainly have had a lot of engagement and a lot of fun," Pat Ammons, USSRC spokesperson, told reporters about the reaction, saying folks have even started sticking up for them online.
Zoom in: The names were unveiled Tuesday, the center's 56th birthday.
- Artemis and Apollo received a warm reception at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, snapping selfies and greeting visitors.
- "The names Artemis and Apollo won by a large percentage," of the roughly 2,000 official votes, Ammons said.
Catch up quick: Reactions to the mascots were plentiful and critical after their unveiling, a reaction the USSRC took in stride over the past couple weeks.
- The public was able to vote on three pairs of names March 1-10: Artemis and Apollo, Nano and Nova, and Percy and Celeste.
- Apollo and Artemis have roots in mythology and in the U.S. space program, as mission names during the Space Race era and modern era, Ammons noted.
The bottom line: With names in place, the mascots will now be on the job around town and elsewhere, helping represent the work done at the center, she said.